Faculty and Staff

Students

Mackenzie Jones

PhD Student in Physics and Astronomy

I am currently a fourth year graduate student/PhD candidate in the Physics and Astronomy department and a NASA Fellow through the Office of Education MUREP ASTAR program. Of the many branches of astronomy, my interest is captured by extragalactic astronomy for the enormous scale of the universe and the diversity of the billions of galaxies it contains. As a member of the Black Holes and Galaxies group led by Ryan Hickox, my research focus specifically examines the connection between star formation and active galactic nuclei (AGN), the highly energetic centers of galaxies powered by accretion of interstellar gas onto supermassive black holes. AGN emit incredible amounts of energy and radiation in many wavelengths, but their fueling mechanisms cannot be well constrained without knowing more about their distribution in space. Furthermore, by investigating the relationship between AGN and the star formation of their host galaxies we may gain insight into the interstellar gas supply that keep AGN fueled and their diverse growth histories.